Mechanical prompter.



J. DURKIN.

MECHANICAL PROMPTER. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 23, 1912.

1191320 Patented Dec. 9, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

77/755555 [/7 VLF/77H:

coLuMmA PLANOGIIAPH co. WASHINGTON. D. c.

J. DURKIN. MECHANICAL PROMPTER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 23, 1912.

1,081,220, Patented Dec.9, 1913.

3 SHEETSSHBBT Z.

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J. DURKIN.

MECHANICAL PROMPTER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 23, 1912.

Patented Dec. 9, 1913.

3 BHBETB-SHBBT 3.

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UNITED STATES JAMES DURKIN, 01 DENVER, COLORADO.

MECHANICAL PROMPTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 9, 1913.

Application filed November 23, 1912. Serial No. 733,178.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES DURKIN, a subject of the King of GreatBritain, re siding in the city and county of Denver, State of Colorado,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Mechanical lrompters, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to mechanical prompters for theatrical purposeswherein a plurality of annunciators placed within the footlight troughat the front of the stage, and controlled by the prompter behind thescenes, are adapted to exhibit to the performer any line or lines of themanuscript or production which he has forgotten, and the object of myinvention is to prompt an actor or performer in his lines from any oneof the three general directions in which the said performer or actor maybe facing, viz. to the right, left or center of the stage, and it is thefurther object of my invention to provide means for controlling aplurality of mechanical prompters from the desk of the regular prompterbehind the scenes, also to illuminate the prompters momentarily when itis desired to prompt the actor.

The operation and construction of my invention may be more clearlyunderstood by reference to the drawings forming a part of thisspecification wherein like numerals and letters of reference refer tosimilar parts throughout the said specification and drawings in which-Figure 1 is a plan view of the stage set for a production disclosing themechanical prompters within the footlight trough at the front of thestage, the prompters desk for controlling the prompters within thefootlight trough and the possible positions of three performers. Fig. 2is an enlarged broken view of the footlight trough and the promptersdesk behind the scenes showing the driving connection between theprompters desk and the mechanical prompters within the footlight trough.Fig. 3 is a front view of one of the pronnpters within the footlighttrough partly in section and with the cover removed therefrom disclosingthe manner in which the rewinding drum is connected to the drivingmechanism, also the clutch for automatically rcleasing the receivingcylinder and engaging the reversing sprocket. Fig. l is a verticalsection through the box showing the manner in which the manuscripttravels between the glass guides from one roll to another the positionof the lamp for illuminating the manuscript, and the spring tensionplate for maintaining a uniform tension on the receiving cylinder,clutch member and the reversing sprocket. Fig. 5 is a detailed sectionalView through the center of the Winding roll showing the hook forengaging the forward end of the manuscript. Fig. 6 is a broken detailedView disclosing the forward end of the manuscript with a ring thereonadapted to be engaged by the hook on the winding roll. Fig. 7 is asectional view through the footlight trough and one of the mechanicalprompters. Fig. 8 is a broken elevation of the driving connectionbetween the prompters desk and the driving mechanism of the mechanicalprompters within the footlight trough.

The present method of prompting actors who have forgotten their linesduring a production is to have a promptcr with a manuscript of theproduction stand just off stage at a small desk, behind the prosceniumarch, and call out the cue or required or forgotten lines to theperformer. Quite frequently, in order to be audible to the performer,the lines which are called out are also audible to the audience andgenerally has a detrimental effect on the production as well as theactor who has forgotten his lines.

It is the object of my invention to provide means which shall beinvisible to the audience, controlled from the prompters desk, andvisible to the performer in any one of three directions which aregenerally assumed upon the stage, viz. right, left or to the center.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings I have indicated three performers as, forinstance, A seated in a chair behind a table, B seated upon a sofa, andC standing slightly to the left of A. Were C to forget his lines, byglancing in the direction indicated by the dot and dash line, which isthe same direction in which he is already facing, his glance encountersthat particular mechanical prompter indicated by the said line. N ere Ato forget his lines it is only necessary that he glance to the centrallylocated mechanical prompter and B could take advantage of the mechanicalprompter at the other end of the footlight trough which is practicallyin front of him. In this way any actor in any position generally assumedon the stage may observe a mechanical prompter without perceptiblyaltering his position. It may also occur that one performer mightintercept the line of vision between a mechanical prompter and an actorwho has forgotten his lines, in which casev the latter can easily directhis gaze, without altering his position very much, to one of the otherprompters within the footlight trough. These prompters consist of anegative manuscript, that is to say, a roll of paper with a darkbackground and light transparent characters. The lines upon themanuscript within the prompter are invisible to the actor until the samehas been lighted from within by the act of the prompter behind thescenes so that there will be no unusual light to attract the attentionof the performers except when they have forgotten their lines.

The mechanical prompters are constructed and operated as follows:

A rectangular casing 1 having a glass plate 2 centrally located near thefront portion thereof is provided with a winding roll 3 loosely mountedupon a continuous drive shaft 4: which is rotated manually by theprompter behind the scenes in a manner hereinafter more fully described,and a rewinding roll 6 which issecured to the rewinding shaft 7 asfollows. The rewinding roll 6 is composed of a hollow sleeve havingflanges 6 at the outer ends thereof, a center rod 8 is provided with areduced threaded portion 8 at one end thereof which screws into thethreaded socket 7 of the rewinding shaft 7 in such a manner that thesaid roll 6 is tightly secured between the shoulder 10 of a knob 11 andthe annular flange 12 of the rcwinding shaft 7. On the end of therewinding shaft is a sprocket 1a. A chain 15 running over this sprocketis engaged by the sprocket 1G loosely mounted upon the continuous driveshaft 4, between the bearing 17 and a clutch member 18 secured to theshaft 41. The sprocket 16 provided with a clutch face 16 and therewinding roll 3 is provided with a similar clutch face 3. The clutchmember 18 is secured to the drive shaft at by means of a transverse pin1', rigidly secured to the drive shaft 4:, which engages a spiral slot18 in the said clutch member 18. When the drive shaft 1 is turnedforward the action of the said pin 4t upon the slanting surface of thespiral slot 18, within the said clutch member 18, causes the said member18 to recede from the clutch face 16 of the sprocket 16 and to engagethe clutch face 3 of the cylinder 3. In order to facilitate the aboveaction a friction plate 20 frictionally engages the upper half of theperipheries of the clutch member 18 and the hubs containing the clutchfaces 3 and 1G and by reason of such friction upon said members,

prevents the rotation of any one of the said members until the saidclutch member 18 has been acted upon by the pin a, operating within thespiral slot 18 thereof, and positively engages the clutch face 3 towardwhich it is moving. A further function of the spring friction plate 20is to prevent either roll from unwinding too rapidly and to keep eitherthe sprocket 16 or the cylinder 3 in positive engagementwith the clutchmember 18, also to maintain a uniform tension on the manuscript. A lamp22 within the box is provided for the purpose of illuminating themanuscript from behind, and is lighted momentarily by the prompterbehind the scenes when it is desired to promptthe actor. The manuscript23 passesfrom the rewinding roll over the guide roll 2 1 and between theglass plate 2 within the box 1 and a glass plate 25 within the cover 26of the boX 1, and over a second guideroll 27 to the winding roll 3. Theforward end of the manuscript 23 is provided with a ring 23 adapted tobeengaged by a hook 29 within a depression 31 of the winding roll 3.

Theseveral prompters within the trough are operated from the promptersdesk 32 behind the scenes. The said prompters desk 32 is similar inconstruction and oper ation to the prompters within the footlight troughexcepting that the characters of the manuscript within the promptersdesk 'aretypewritten and the corresponding portions of the mechanismproportionatelyreduced. Also the drive shaft 1 is fitted at the righthand end with a crank or handle 33 for rotating the same. The oppositeend thereof is provided with a gear 34L meshing with a bevel pinion 35at the upper end of a verticalshaft 36 which passes through the floor 37of the stage and is provided at its lower end with a bevel gear 38 whichmeshes with a pinion 39 secured to the drive shaft t manuscript of theprompters within the trough are of such size and proportion asttbeeasily read from any portion of the stage, while the manuscript with inthe prompters deskis of the usual sized type to be found in typewriters.Vhenever the prompter turns the manuscript forward a line the sameresult must be produced simultaneously within the mechanical promptersof the footlight trough. In order to com pensate between the differencein width of one typewrittenline on the prompters desk and one line ofthe larger characters within 7 the footlight prompters the ratio betweenthe gears 3% and 35 and the gears 38 and 39 is increasedproportionately. In cases where there is a change'of direction ofthefootlight trough, as shown in F i g. 2, I have provided universal joints41 at the points in the drive shaft 1 where the changeof direction ltdoccurs. After the production is finished and the entire length of themanuscript 23 has been wound upon the roll 3, before the nextperformance is begun the manuscript must be rewound upon the roll Byturning the handle backward, through the medium of the beveled gears andpinions 34; and respectively, vertical shaft 36, beveled gear andpinions 38 and 39 respectively, the drive shaft at will be rotated inthe opposite direction from that of winding up the manu script and thepins 4, acting on the spiral slot 18, as hereinbefore described, willautoinatically disengage the clutch member 18 from the clutch face 3 ofthe winding roll 3 and cause the same to engage the clutch face 16 ofthe sprocket 16 and, by means of the sprocket chain 15, rewinding shaft7 and rewinding roll 6, rewind the manuscript upon the rewinding roll.The mechanical prompters are now ready for the next performance.

It is obvious from the foregoing that I have provided means forprompting the performers on the stage that are controlled from theprompters desk behind the scenes in such a manner that the saidperformers may observe the same without altering their positions orbeing exposed to the embarrassment of having their lines called from behind the scenes. l[ have also provided means for controlling andrewinding a plurality of mechanical prompters simultaneously and fortemporarily illuminating the sai prompters.

lt do not wish to confine myself to the precise construction herein butrather to avail myself of any modifications that may fall properlywithin the scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention what If claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is 1. In a mechanical prompter the combinationof a plurality of suitable hollow boxes each box having a winding andrewinding cylinder rotatably mounted therein; a clutch member secured tothe winding cylinders; a transparent table between the cylinders; atransparent manuscriptattached to each rewinding cylinder and adapted totravel. over the transparent table; means for illuminating thetransparent manuscript; a continuous shaft suitably mounted in bearingsand running through each of the winding cylinders in each box; asprocket loosely mounted, in each box, upon the said continuous driveshaft and adjacent to the cylinder thereon; a sprocket on the shaft ofthe other cylinder; suitable driving connections between said sprockets;a clutch member secured to the continuous drive shaft and adapted toengage the cylinder mounted thereon when said drive shaft is rotated inone direction and adapted to automatically release the cylinder andengage the sprocket when the shaft is rotated in the opposite direction;and means for maintaining a uniform tension on the cylinders andsprockets.

2. In a mechanical prompter the combination of a plurality of suitablehollow boxes; a detachable rewinding cylinder rotatably mounted in eachbox and having a sprocket secured to the shaft thereof; a continuousdrive shaft running through each box and having a plurality of clutchmembers secured thereto, one within each box; a winding cylinder havinga clutch integral with one end thereof, and loosely mounted upon thecontinuous drive shaft and in each box; a transparent manuscript rolledupon the rewinding cylinder and secured to the Winding cylinder; asprocket in each box loosely mounted upon the drive shaft and adjacentto the clutch member; suitable driving connections between said sprocketand the sprocket on the rewinding cylinder; means for auton'iaticallyengaging the winding cylinder when the shaft is rotated in a forwarddirection and for engaging the rewinding cylinder when the shaft isrotated in the op posite direction; and means for maintaining a uniformtension on the cylinders and sprockets.

8. In a mechanical prompter the combination of a plurality of suitablehollow boxes arranged at intervals upon a continuous drive shaft; ashaft having a sprocket at one end thereof rotatably mounted within eachhollow box; a flanged cylinder detachably secured to each rotatableshaft; a second flanged cylinder within each box having a clutchintegral with one end thereof and loosely mounted upon the continuousdrive shaft; a sprocket in each box having a clutch member integraltherewith and loosely mounted upon the continuous drive shaft; suitableconnection between the sprocket on the continuous drive shaft and thesprocket on the rotatable shaft within the other end of the box; aclutch member having a spiral slot therein and loosely mounted in eachbox, upon the continuous drive shaft; transverse pins secured to thecontinuous drive shaft and adapted to e11- gage the spiral slots of theclutch member and cause the said member to be disengaged from the clutchintegral with the sprocket;

and means for retarding the rotation of the cylinder sprocket or clutchmember when the same are not positively engaged by the drive shaft.

l. in a mechanical prompter the combination of a plurality of suitablehollow boxes; a shaft having a sprocket at one end thereof rotatablymounted within one end of each box; a cylinder detachably secured toeach shaft; a continuous drive shaft running through the opposite end ofeach box; a cylinder having a clutch integral with one end thereofloosely mounted in each box and upon the continuous drive shaft asprocket having a clutch member integral therewith loosely mounted ineach box and upon the drive shaft; suitable driving connections be--tween the sprockets on the clrive shaft and the sprockets on therotatable shafts in the opposite ends of the boxes; clutch membershaving spiral slots in the peripheries thereof and secured to the driveshaft between each sprocket and cylinder; transverse pins secured to thedrive shaft and adapted to engage the spiral slots Within the clutchmembers; and a frictionplate adapted to engage a the hubs of thereceiving cylinders and sprockets and the clutch members and retard therotation of said members until positively engaged by the driving shaft.

In Witness whereof I hereunto set my signature in the presence of tWosubscribing Witnesses.

JAMES DURKIN. Vitnesses AR UR lVHrrE, J arms McCUE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G.

